One defining moment in the boys' development of their own self-awareness occurs in Chapter Four, "Painted Faces and Long Hair"; Jack explains to Roger that the pigs escape during their hunting because they see the boys approaching:

"They don't smell me. They see me, I think. Something pink, under the trees" (63).

Jack's ability to pinpoint the problem with their hunting also enables him to create a solution. His self-awareness guides his understanding of why his hunting has been so unsuccessful, thus leading him to take measures to correct the problem and adapt to their new environment.

"Jack planned his new face. He made one cheek and one eye-socket white, then he rubbed red over the other half of his face and slashed a black bar of charcoal across from right ear to left jaw" (63).

Jack's response to his new face is one of astonishment, no longer [looking] at himself but at an awesome stranger" (63).

Another example Jack's ability to use his self-awareness to adapt to the environment occurs later on in the same chapter as the boys begin their hunt. Jack modifies their plan, realizing that the pigs were able to run past a single boy, and so the boys form a circle to entrap their prey. Again, his self-awareness allows Jack to learn from his mistakes and adapt his behavior.